


Dinner & Diatribes

by orphan_account



Series: false sense of hope (captives come home) [9]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 10:31:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19990687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The announcement of Zelda’s pregnancy appears to be the single biggest event of the year in the castle.





	Dinner & Diatribes

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo Square: Forced Out of the Closet  
> (Title from Dinner and Diatribes by Hozier)

The announcement of Zelda’s pregnancy appears to be the single biggest event of the year in the castle. The highest esteemed members of each of the four regions are in attendance, including Prince Sidon and Muzu. When Link peeks through the door to see who he’ll be faced with when Ganon lets him into the dining hall to attend Zelda, he starts at the sight of the prince, deep in conversation with young Riju and her guard Buliara. With Ganon formally in power, Link isn’t sure what Riju’s power over the Gerudo is anymore, but that isn’t important. What’s important is making sure Zelda and Ganon are tended to.

The hall goes silent when Ganon enters, Zelda on his arm, pregnancy just visible beneath her dress, kicking up hushed conversation from the guests. The conversation becomes ever so slightly louder when Link takes his place standing behind Zelda. Link feels his cheeks burning. He knows they’re talking about him. As far as they know, he’s dead, gone, lost to Ganon when he reformed. Well, the latter is true, but he’s far from dead. 

Ganon raises a hand, silencing the room. The guests take their seats. “As you may have noticed, my darling princess,” Ganon looks down at Zelda, already seated, “has a new condition. I could not be prouder to announce to you the conception of an heir to the throne of Hyrule.”

“How can we know the child will not be a Gerudo male?” Buliara demands, a dangerous edge to her voice. 

Ganon raises both hands in a surrendering gesture. “The child was sired by an anonymous Hylian, to ensure the inheritance of the royal Hylian bloodline and prevent the…” He pauses, giving Buliara a pointed look. “... _ unfortunate _ circumstances surrounding the birth of the next Gerudo male.”

Buliara gives him a suspicious look before settling back in her seat. “Very well.”

Ganon takes his seat at the head of the table, signalling to the servants to bring out the first course. Conversation is a steady hum that Link all but tunes out as their guests pester Zelda and Ganon with questions about her condition: how long, has it been difficult, is it the same as Gerudo (this one from Riju, still a child in her own right).

Link startles at a soft touch to his hip. He leans down, pretending to say something in Zelda’s ear to cover up his seeing Sidon’s hand escaping back to the prince’s meal and to hear what he has to say.

“I’ve missed you so much, little hero! I knew you were still alive, despite what others said. The domain is so dim without your shining light at my side.” 

Link’s eyes widen and he rises again, tapping his fingers against Zelda’s shoulder blade to get her attention. He can’t let Sidon go on like this. Zelda turns to look at Link. He quickly signs out “Distract Sidon,” hopefully fast enough that Ganon doesn’t see, but when Link flicks his eyes over to observe the king, he’s staring right at the Hylians.

“Is there something the matter?” He asks Zelda, and Zelda quickly shakes her head.

“N-no, of course not.” She rests a hand on Sidon’s arm. “I was simply about to return greetings to Prince Sidon.”

Ganon hums, eyeing Zelda, then Link, before turning back to Riju and Buliara.

Link breathes a soft sigh of relief, but Sidon doesn’t stop pestering them. He continues to ask after Link’s wellbeing both to Zelda and Link himself, but Link isn’t supposed to speak to anyone but Zelda or Ganon if absolutely necessary. Zelda tries to divert the conversation to the celebration at hand, how she wishes Mipha could have been here (Link pretends not to notice the stir in his soul at the mention of her name). The more Sidon fusses, however, the more fear builds up in Link’s chest about their former relationship status being revealed to his master.

Link winces when he hears Sidon mention how cold his bed has been, however softly he mentions it. Ganon’s head slowly turns back to the Hylians and Zora, and he beckons over a guard disguised as a servant. 

“Link.” Link startles at hearing a word that ever so rarely leaves his master’s mouth. “You are dismissed for the evening. You’ll be escorted back to your room.” The edge in Ganon’s voice indicates that Link, won’t in fact, be escorted to the chambers he shares with Ganon and Zelda, but his room prior, a dank room in the dungeons.

The entire hall is silent, but Link forces himself to look as though he’s going willingly. As soon as they exit the hall, the guard grabs Link’s arm hard enough to bruise, dragging him down to the dungeons. 

~~~

Sidon watches in silence with everyone else as Link leaves the hall with his escort, noting the slightly pained look on the princess’s face as the door swings shut. She quickly regains her stature, though, and looks over to Ganon. 

“I’ve grown rather tired of conversation,” she says quietly, so much so that only those closest to her can hear it. Ganon simply hums. “I’d like to retire for the evening.” When Ganon still doesn’t look at her, she speaks once more. “I’m tired, love,” she says, and this time she gets Ganon’s attention.

_ Love? _ Sidon thinks. Since when did the princess love the man? As far as Sidon knew, this was a political marriage, one to gain Ganon the control and power he so craved, not one of love.

As Ganon and Zelda bid goodnight to their guests, thanking them for their presence, Sidon sat lost in his thoughts. If Zelda was claiming to love Ganon, and Link was dismissed when Sidon mentioned their previous relationship, then the princess and the hero were in deep trouble here.


End file.
